Welcome to Yes, Chef! A monthly newsletter in which food writer Sophie Hansen shines a light on our regional chefs. This week, we meet Griffith's Luca Vico.
He wears a few hats. Luca Vico is head chef at La Scala in Griffith, the third generation of his family to run the popular Riverina city restaurant. He’s an artist – that’s his fresco in the restaurant. And he’s the maker of some of the finest pizza, pasta and gelato in Australia.
Luca's grandparents, Onorato and Lina Vico, opened La Scala in 1977. Onorato had migrated from Italy to Australia in 1956 to make his mark as a gelatiere maestro. He met Caterina “Lina” and they married in 1958, eventually settling, as so many of their countrymen and women did in the ’60s and ’70s, in Griffith.
Luca's grandparents, La Scala's founders Onorato and Caterina (Lina) Vico. Onorato also owned restaurants in Melbourne and Brisbane, including Cortina bar in Brisbane fortitude Valley in the 1960s (pictured).
La Scala is something of an institution, loved by expats, locals and tourists for its housemade pasta, gelato and pizza and, of course, its excellent coffee. Two generations later, grandson Luca – with his brother Alessandro, father Renato and their extended family – continues the tradition. It truly seems like everyone who works here is related and has been working on the floor or in the kitchen for at least a decade.
Luca left home at 16, encouraged by his father to experience something other than cooking in the family restaurant. So he studied graphic arts and design in Sydney. But La Scala eventually drew him back. “The kitchen always felt like home to me growing up,” he tells Galah, “so I think the passion for cooking was embedded at a very young age.”
For more Griffith goodness, watch for Galah’s regional travel guide in Issue 13 of the magazine, on sale 3 November (pre-orders now open).
A recipe that takes you home?
Osso bucco with soft polenta. It's an Italian staple. My mother, Luciana, has made this for us since we were little, and I have many good memories of sitting around our family table eating this classic dish. It's great comfort food and never disappoints.
A recipe for joy?
A woodfired pizza. Doesn't need much explanation. Everyone loves a good pizza with the right ingredients. The secret is in the dough. For authentic Neapolitan pizza, you have to use 00 pizza flour – its high protein content and gluten profile create a light, flavourful dough that bakes into the ideal blend of chewy and crispy.
A recipe to bolster or soothe?
A good risotto. It's very versatile and can be tailored to suit any dietary requirement. At the moment, I've been making a beautiful risotto with asparagus and porcini mushrooms.
Why do you cook in this region?
I’m Griffith born and raised. Although I’ve done a lot of travelling overseas and spent lots of time studying in Sydney, it will always be Griffith for me. We have such a great community here and everything we could ever want or need.
What’s an ingredient you're excited about right now?
Nduja. I love its versatility. It can be used in a sauce, with pasta, or on top of a pizza. It works well fresh, by itself, or on any dish, or incorporated while cooking. It offers a deep pork richness lifted by spice and smoke, finishing with a well-rounded, lingering warmth.
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Let's Stay Together by Al Green.
Espresso.
Panettone.
Averna.
A plain egg omelette on sourdough with butter and Maldon sea salt that my beautiful wife Bec makes for me on a Sunday morning.
Serves 2–3
250 g orecchiette pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ onion, finely diced
2 heaped tablespoons nduja
2 fire-roasted red capsicums, peeled and sliced into strips
½ cup reserved pasta water (more if needed)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Honey ricotta
200 g ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon honey
Pinch of salt
Zest of ½ lemon (optional, for brightness)
Method
See you all next month for the November instalment of Yes, Chef! And as always, if you know of a regional chef we should profile here, please let us know.
Sophie x
